Shellmound Victory Photo History
When a donor asked “What is the Sacred Land Film Project’s strategy for making a difference?” it set off a year-long quest to craft an answer.
A Letter to the Supreme Court
The California Supreme Court is deciding whether to take on the West Berkeley Shellmound case. Project Director Toby McLeod argues that they must!
Barbed Wire Imprisons Sacred Site
On the day the California Court of Appeal heard arguments over whether to uphold lower court protection of the West Berkeley Shellmound, landowners erected a six-foot chain link fence topped with three strands of barbed wire. It was a gut punch.
11 Most Endangered
In a stunning development, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has placed the West Berkeley Shellmound and Village Site on their 2020 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.
We Can Save the West Berkeley Shellmound
After a two-year battle, developers have withdrawn their plans to build a 5-story condo complex at the West Berkeley Shellmound. We are not calling this a “victory” because the land owners say they’ll try to move ahead—but now is the time to advance another vision for the site.
Upcoming Film Screenings in October
An expensive public relations campaign cannot obscure the fact that an important cultural landscape and designated historic landmark — a sacred site — still graces Berkeley where Strawberry Creek once flowed into the bay and a 5,000 year-old Ohlone village built a massive mound of shells and revered ancestors.
Redacting Inconvenient Facts at the Shellmound
There is very clear evidence of cultural artifacts beneath the pavement of Spenger’s Parking Lot at 1900 Fourth Street, no matter what the developers may claim.
Propaganda vs. Facts at West Berkeley Shellmound
An expensive public relations campaign cannot obscure the fact that an important cultural landscape and designated historic landmark — a sacred site — still graces Berkeley where Strawberry Creek once flowed into the bay and a 5,000 year-old Ohlone village built a massive mound of shells and revered ancestors.
Assault Begins on West Berkeley Shellmound Site
The Ohlone campaign to protect the West Berkeley Shellmound and Village Site suffered a setback last week as the developer invoked a new state law that takes control of housing project approval away from local zoning boards and requires over-the-counter rubber stamp approval by planning departments.
West Berkeley Shellmound Battle Continues
When a developer proposed a 5-story condo-commercial complex on the site of a 5,000-year-old Ohlone village site known as the “West Berkeley Shellmound,” fierce opposition grew in support of local leader Corrina Gould.